There are many emotional issues that find a corner in our heart, and refuse to die down. With time, these issues can transform into a sort of emotional tumor that impacts negatively on our daily life, such as lack of concentration, enthusiasm, self respect, will to change, encouragement, and so on. These issues can spiral into our lives in various ways and gets channelled into other zones, which can create problems in the relationships, professional life, and health.

I’ve started meditating. Have you tried it? It is so hard. It is always something I’ve thought about, feeling it’s something I “should” do. But inevitably, I never seem to find the time to do it. Or I try, and 3 minutes later I hear a buzz on my phone and I’m back checking e-mail or getting distracted.

So really, what is the point of meditating anyway? Is it just something that people say to do?

As you can see, there are A LOT of benefits. It pretty much affects every area of your life. As it shares in the article from Art of Living, Harvard medical studies have proven that long term mediation actually increases the amounts of gray matter in the insula and sensory regions of the brain as well as the auditory and sensory cortex. So what does this mean? It reduces stress, increases clear thinking, and creates space and openness to experience more compassion, love, empathy, and connection.

This sounds great, right? So why aren’t all of us doing this every day?

Well it is much easier said than done and really requires a dedication, commitment and intention.

Our culture and society as a whole does not promote stillness or slowing down. What is actually rewarded and praised is doing more, more, and more. There is an expectation to produce more work, always be available via e-mail, facebook, phone, texting etc., and overall maintain a sense of busyness. Next time you ask someone “what’s new?” or “how have things been?”- More than likely somewhere in their answer will be- “Things have been really busy” or “can’t believe how fast time goes”. We are over-stimulated. I recently heard that TV programs have now started to change scenes every 7-10 seconds, which trains our brains to get bored quickly- jumping from one thing to the next.

So if you find stillness difficult, you are not alone.

Again, I come back to- whymeditate?

Meditation is such an important representation of our life- it is not about finding your purpose, it’s about living on purpose.

We can get so caught up in the motions of eating, working, and texting that we aren’t present in our lives- much less living them.

On your 80th birthday, what will you find important? What will you reflect upon as “almosts” or “should haves”? When we get too caught up in the ups and downs of life and the stress of busyness, we are a shadow of who we could be.

We feel drained and disconnected from ourselves, family, friends and moments.

We need to redefine success.

What happens in our lives shows us who we are. Don’t wait until your problems turn around. Put your whole self in first, and from your change of consciousness, your problems can diminish. Even if external circumstances stay the same, they will not be perceived and impact you the way they are now. This is the only way to be resilient and live fully.

So here’s my first blog in over a year, say what?! I know, I know.. It’s been a while- which is what I talked about in my last blog post…over a year ago.

So I have to ask myself- what is keeping me from blogging? It is most certainly on my weekly to do list, I know the importance of it to connect and engage an audience, so why don’t I do it?

Well I look at a blog as an opportunity to share and learn… share more about me and life’s challenges, and help people learn or see a different perspective on something. An opportunity to feel inspired- either by “she gets it” or “wow I didn’t know that”.

I think about when I am most likely to read blogs, and continually find that it’s when it promises a solution to a problem. For example, “7 ways to feel happier”, “Top 10 ways to turn your business into a 6 figure company”, “With this simple trick, you can make your marriage happier”… the headlines of “how to” and promising magic formulas are endless. And it sells. Any business or marketer knows that.

Which is why advertisements all have one thing in common- they make you believe that you are missing something without their product, and with it you will gain something you can’t pass up- like happiness, love, success- those are the easy sells. Why do you think so many commercials show happy people doing something fun? Because somewhere it triggers in your mind… “oh wow, that looks great- I want to feel that way, oh what are they selling? They are drinking coca-cola… maybe I will too.” This is not usually a very conscious process, but I can assure you this is what happens.

So back to blogging. My struggle has been how to engage people- trust me, I want to use my training and knowledge to teach, but also promising the “one fix to your relationship problems” does not feel genuine to me. Because if there is one thing I know, life and struggles are complicated- and if there was a quick fix- you wouldn’t need therapy and the divorce rate wouldn’t be as high as it is. Anything that seems too easy and too good to be true is.

I want to be genuine. I want to connect. I want you to get to know me and how I struggle with life too. This is not my diary, but I want to be authentic. And I want to teach. So I’m changing the way I’m looking at blogging. I’m finding my own way to define it and want to write about what’s happening in the world and some struggles as well as positive things we can all relate to. I want you to feel inspired by it.

I believe that each human has a deep desire to transform and reach their true potential. And this is what I want to speak to.

We can live ordinary or extraordinary lives. So by opening the door to discuss psychological, social, physical and environmental issues that we all deal with- my goal is to help move you from confusion and limitation to clarity and expansiveness.

So if this sounds like something you are interested in, sign up to receive the blogs directly to your inbox. No, your inbox won’t be flooded. I promise not to write more than 2 blog posts a month.. which would be a huge success compared to my 1 blog post in 2016. So let’s do this.. I’m ready to start sharing!

Ashleigh Peterson

I have worked in the mental health field since 2008. I began as a residential treatment counselor working with adolescent males in Fort Collins. Then, I worked as a case manager in a Community Mental Health Agency for several years, gaining valuable experience treating severe mental illness and addiction.

Maggie Phillips

I am a Marriage and Family Therapist with experience working with children, adolescents, couples, and family-related issues. My systemic approach goes beyond the individual and focuses on problems within the context of the relationship.